To the soft-skinned diplomat, armor is something you put on. To a Plated Vesk, armor is something you are. We are the living siege engines of the Scale Hegemony, born from bloodlines that walked the radioactive deserts of Vesk-6 and the crushing gravity wells of the Outer Rim without suits. Our skin is a geological record of our endurance—overlapping strata of keratin and bone that can turn a laser blade or shatter a rifle butt. We do not dress for war; we wake up ready for it. In the chaos of the Starfall, where gear degrades and batteries die, a Plated Vesk is the only fortification that never needs a maintenance cycle.
The Walking Bastions
In the Scale Hegemony’s doctrine, Plated Vesk are rarely wasted on skirmishes. They are the "Anvil" against which the "Hammer" of the fleet strikes. During boarding actions, they are often the first through the hull breach, their bulk absorbing the initial volley of defense turrets so the lighter troops can flood in behind them. To serve as a living shield is the highest form of Dei (duty).
Rift-Scarred Carapaces
Exposure to the Rift storms of the Frontier often reacts strangely with Plated physiology. Some veterans develop "Rift-etching"—glowing, chaotic patterns in the deep grooves of their plates. Rather than shunning them, Vesk war-priests claim these scars are maps of the Maelstrom, proof that the warrior has looked into the abyss and remained unbroken.
The "Naked" Mercenaries
In the seedier starports of the Free Worlds Union, a Plated Vesk is a prized bodyguard because they can walk through security scanners "unarmed and unarmored" while effectively being a walking tank. This makes them terrifyingly effective in diplomatic zones or "safe houses" where weapons and armor are prohibited.
Plated Vesk Vesk Heritage
Source Player Core pg. 75
Your ancestors were the hardiest specimens of vesk, having traveled far and wide while enduring hostile environments. Your scales count as medium armor in the plate armor group. They grant a +3 item bonus to AC, have a Dex cap of +1, a check penalty of –2, and a Strength threshold of +3, and have the comfort and exposed traits. This item bonus increases to +4 at 5th level. You can wear a flight suit, but you can't wear other armor. You can etch armor runes onto your scales, but you can't install armor upgrades.
Feats Requiring Plated Vesk…
Plated Deflection
Example Quirks / Beliefs
"My skin remembers." – You refuse to heal cosmetic damage to your plates, believing every chip and scratch is a record of a battle survived.
"Metal is weak." – You disdain manufactured armor, viewing it as a crutch for those whose bodies are too frail to withstand the universe.
The Grooming Ritual: You spend hours sanding and oiling your plates, not for vanity, but because a jammed plate can mean death in mobility.
Impact Greetings: You prefer to greet close friends or respected rivals with a shoulder-check or head-butt that would hospitalize a human, testing their durability.
The Plated Vesk is the ultimate expression of the Hegemony's philosophy: that biology and destiny are one. In a galaxy of fragile tech and failing shields, they are the immutable iron truth that endures when the lights go out.
Comments
Post a Comment